Tamales from the Mississippi Delta: A Culinary Conundrum

Presented by John T Edge, author of Southern Belly

Reception and book signing immediately following lecture

Free and open to the public

Thursday, August 17, 2000, 7 p.m. at the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex Auditorium,

Corner of Cherry and Crawford Streets, Downtown Vicksburg

For more information call (601) 631-2997.

(Vicksburg) John T Edge will present  “Tamales from the Mississippi Delta: A Culinary Conundrum” on Thursday, August 17, 2000, at 7:00 pm at the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex Auditorium in downtown Vicksburg.  In addition to exploring how hot-tamales came to be one of the favorite foods of the Mississippi Delta, Edge will discuss how the study of food can be used to better understand the culture of our region.

After the lecture, Edge will sign his newly released book, Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lover's Companion to the South, an authoritative and comprehensive view of the food of the American South.  This place-specific book, fuses good eatin' advice with entries that provide historical and cultural perspectives on our appreciation of Southern standard--and not so standard--food fare.

As Director of the Southern Foodways Alliance of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, Edge was instrumental in the developing the newly formed Southern Foodways Alliance and the popular annual Southern Foodways Symposium.  In addition to exploring the culinary side of the South, Edge introduces the South to the rest of the world as author of several travel books including Lonely Planets’ New Orleans and Deep South.   His articles on Southern culture have appeared in such publications as the Chicago Sun-Times, Cooking Light, The New York Times Magazine, The Oxford American, Saveur, Southern Living, and Y’all. Whether high-profiling on NPR's "All Things Considered" or solo traveling the back roads of the Deep South, Edge knows what makes the Southern heart beat.

The presentation is part of the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation’s (SCHF) Humanities Lecture Series, which takes place on the third Thursday of every month. The Southern Cultural Heritage Complex’s (SCHC) Auditorium is located the corner of Cherry and Crawford Streets in Downtown Vicksburg.  A reception with tamales from Solly’s Hot Tamales of Vicksburg and a book signing will immediately follow the lecture. The event is free and open to the public. For more information call (601) 631-2997.